Blue Macaw Parrot No Longer Exists In The Wild: Study

A study by BirdLife International released this week found that the blue macaw parrot known as a Spix’s macaw is now extinct in the wild, The Hill reports.

The Brazilian bird is one of eight bird species confirmed extinct or suspected extinct in the report and deforestation was seen as a leading cause of its disappearance from its natural habitat.

Five of the eight bird species highlighted in this study are in South America – four in Brazil alone, according to the organization.

BirdLife’s chief scientist Stuart Butchart, who is the lead author of the report wrote: “Our results confirm that there is a growing wave of extinctions sweeping across the continents, driven mainly by habitat loss and degradation from unsustainable agriculture and logging.”

The Spix’s macaw gained worldwide fame in the Disney film “Rio” as the parrot raised in captivity named Blu, who travels thousands of miles from Minnesota to Brazil in an attempt to save his species. Unfortunately, in the real world, Blu would’ve been too late.

The report says that although the species is extinct in the wild, there are about 60 to 80 Spix’s macaws that still survive in special breeding programs, according to CBS News.